The Portfolio Building Process
These sessions will commence with an introduction to the concept of disentangling oneself from the restrictiveness of their convictions. It will deal with any GDPR concerns that the clients have, and a social contract will be developed before the sessions proceed.
In these sessions there will be a strong focus on personal reflection.
We will explore the impact learning things had on the individual and how they have improved since then, what change did it bring about, what did it make them think about, how would they apply it in the future, what did they do then, what would they do differently?
All of that learning that came from their set of circumstances and how it could be applied in the future.
The mentor / facilitator will draw out any soft skills developed since that time, formally or informally, since the time of offending and we will seek supporting documentation of this. Information on interests and hobbies will be drawn from the clients and their roles in these activities to identify instances of leadership, teamwork, networking, and confidence building activities.
Information will be sought on their primary risk factors and the steps that they are taking to ensure these do not affect their recovery process. If there are addiction issues, reports will be sought from GP’s with explicit signed permission from the clients around areas of drug use or abstinence or from sponsors in their AA and DA meetings.
Information on any academic achievements acquired since they offended, or any new skills developed will be documented and included in the portfolio.
Plans for the future will also be documented and the steps taken to ensure that these plans can become a reality.
Contact will be made with the arresting officers / local Garda station to find a common ground through restorative practices with our clients’ signed consent.
We will explore the possibility of our clients becoming peer mentor facilitators. We will provide information and training to them as there is more substance in working with someone that has shared the same experiences as you for an honest and open engagement.
Added Value Training
Amicitia and Spéire Nua has developed an internship programme and will provide opportunities in the following areas:
These programme activities include:
- 1 month working in the cafe.
- 1 month working in the community gardens and surrounding area of Athenry.
- 1 month working as support in the technology installation side of our business and/or learning additional computer skills/social media marketing etc.
- 1 month in administration and management of community events
- 1 month research/studying of social enterprise and cooperative business models, sustainability projects etc.
This is the value-added piece that we would like to develop alongside the Spéire Nua portfolio building process and an additional package of skills our clients could utilise as they progress to other organisations of his or her own choosing.
A Spéire Nua Portfolio will be developed, and we will present this verified documentation to the Probation Services, the IPS, the Court Services, and the Gardaí to validate. Should the portfolio meet the required standard set out by the criminal justice system a signed certificate will be sought and will be an additional (or only) communication that will be issued to organisations seeking a Criminal Conviction Disclosure via the Garda Vetting Bureau.
For more information, please contact us through the form below